


HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON'T

by fireangelnblw



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: 80s Jams, Agender! Nico, Based on a Fall Out Boy Song, Circle Game, Cute, Demiboy! Leo Valdez, First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Motorcycles, Neon - Freeform, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, Other, cursing, in which two idiots have a zombie chaffeur and a night to kill, leo uses they/them in part two, nico uses xe/xem because i say so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 15:48:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14855642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireangelnblw/pseuds/fireangelnblw
Summary: “i know, piper. it’s fucking weird that i’m meeting nico in the middle of a graveyard but you know what? i have more problems to worry about, like how the next x-men issue isn’t coming out until next month and they left me at a cliffhanger which, by the way, is a violation of human rights and cullen bunn is a criminal that needs to be placed in a holding cell or something.”





	HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON'T

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rika_Chan12](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rika_Chan12/gifts), [sandyfiwee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyfiwee/gifts).



 

“i know, piper. it’s fucking weird that i’m meeting nico in the middle of a graveyard but you know what? i have more problems to worry about, like how the next x-men issue isn’t coming out until next month and they left me at a cliffhanger which, by the way, is a violation of human rights and cullen bunn is a criminal that needs to be placed in a holding cell or something.”

****

leo ended his small rant by kicking a small tin can into the road from the sidewalk, seeing it get crushed under the wheel of a pickup truck rolling by. the air was freezing, making him shiver a bit under his army jacket. he would’ve conjured some body heat but he was too tired to do so; he had hardly gotten any sleep the night before after working on some improvements to festus and then his coffee maker broke (courtesy to buford) and he had to make a new one, and then after a cup he napped for five minutes on everything in sight - the campfire, tennis court, everything. then he agreed to meet nico in a boston graveyard, and he couldn’t say no to nico di angelo because he was fucking weak for xem. like, _weak_ weak. so here he was at night, walking down the streets of massachusetts talking to piper using iris message.

****

{no, no, not the iris message where you have to use a rainbow and mist to contact other people with a drachma and a prayer. it was a feature on the newly invented demigod smartphone that the hephaestus cabin made. it behaved differently from a regular one, partially because it didn’t attract monster since it used similar properties to the real iris message (though the phone did require a prayer to hephaestus before using it), and partially because it was unbreakable. you could drop it from the empire state building and it wouldn’t even crack a bit - unless a monster came over and ate it. iris message is like messages, but don’t require wifi or lte because leo was just that amazing. okay, back on track…}

****

“ _okay, first, the x-men issue is only coming in a month, not like several eons_ ,” piper replied through the phone. “ _and second, the fact that you two are meeting in the middle of a graveyard isn’t the weird thing. it’s the fact that you two are meeting at all and you’re the one xe approached. i have a feeling this is a date._ ”

****

“no, it isn’t!” he semi-yelled, waving off the passerby as they walked past him, frowning at his loud outburst. “xe’s just a friend. that’s all. how would you know anyway?”

****

“ _dude, my mom is the goddess of love. and as the daughter of the goddess of love, you’re totally into xem._ ”

****

“shut up, mclean.”

****

“ _see, you even took the last name habit from xem. cuties. anyway, i have to head to bed. tomorrow i have a date with annabeth, something that i’m not oblivious to admit. bye, sucker!_ ”

****

“piper, don’t you dare-!”

****

she hung up.

****

leo sighed in defeat, putting his phone away and stuffing his hands in his pockets, whistling in the moonlight. he was nearing the entrance of the graveyard, a black gate embedded into the wall, looking like a victorian-esque door you see when you visit those vampire castles in transylvania before getting whisked off by a pale raven-haired asshole with sharp canines and a lust for blood. he remembered thinking that nico was a vampire once. he always described xyr hair as baby bat wings mentally, but didn’t dare say that because he fancied the idea of living...even if he died once, but that's besides the point.

****

though, leo had lied to piper. somewhat. a few weeks ago, him and nico shared a kiss on the salvaged mast of the argo ii which was even more amazing than when nico temporarily raised his mom from the dead for his birthday. if that wasn’t the sweetest gift that has ever been given to leo in his life, he wouldn’t know what else because, goddamn, nico di angelo sure knew how to make a guy weak in the knees. after that, they didn’t know what they were, but they sure as fuck weren’t “just friends” anymore. so here leo was, worried about messing this “date” up and losing the love of his life, and soon he’ll be left alone in the middle of a haunted graveyard, and return to texas with a broken heart and die at the age of 19 from drowning in sorrow and he’ll go to the underworld and hades will most likely make him suffer in the fields of punish-

****

okay, he was getting ahead of himself. he stopped right in front of the gate, absentmindedly removing one of the bracelets around his wrist to fidget with it - a golden chain stress-reliever that he received for his birthday from reyna. he always had it with him as a haven to stim; he definitely cherished it right now since he didn’t want to have an anxious breakdown before he went on his first every date.

****

taking several deep breaths, he muttered, “come on, you’re the badass supreme leo valdez, you’ve faced worse than a child of hades that you have a crush on.”

****

he put the bracelet back on.

****

he observed the graveyard, a large enclosure bordered by a stone wall, the black iron gate reaching several feet and looming over him like some sort of giant (though, not like an actual giant because those fuckers are _humongous_ ). there was no one inside, just pavement carved to make a walkway through the grass where he could already see a few gravestones. scanning the sidewalk to see if there were any civilians watching, he quickly scaled the gate, already at the top in a matter of seconds. he jumped down the other side, feet slamming against the concrete. he stood back up from his crouch triumphantly. he learned the technique after being on the streets for most of his life, scaling walls to escape police and sneaking out from foster homes. he had many ways to get out of sticky situations using only his intellect and the things he had on hand. that was one thing that he was proud about himself, though sometimes he doubted it.

****

shaking his head, he looked around him. inside the graveyard was rolling hills of dark green, littered with gravestones carved with names, years, and quotes from those who have died. a few trees were planted here and there, and flowers covered a few cement scriptures. leo didn’t really like graveyards; they reminded him too much of his late mother, but after his talk with her those weeks ago, it didn’t bother him as much as it did the day she died. besides, nico said they were just going to be there for a little time, no biggie. he could do this.

****

he made his way down the walkway, searching for any sign of a dark-clothed child of hades. xe was pretty hard to scout out in the darkness, but leo was 99% sure that he would be able to find the guy after years of talking with-

****

“hey, valdez.”

****

he yelped, spinning around and getting into a fighting stance, a mix of kung-fu, jujitsu, and stupidity. his fear suddenly washed away, however, when his own eyes saw who it was, and his face flushed just looking at xem.

****

nicolò di angelo was standing right in front of him, olive brown skin gleaming in the moonlight, freckles covering every corner of xyr face, glowing obsidian eyes staring right back at him. xyr hair was luscious as ever, framing xyr face and ending at xyr shoulders, raven as the crow’s neck. xe wore xyr favorite aviator jacket over a _my chemical romance_ shirt, black jeans and converse, and xyr slender hands were fidgeting with a skull ring from xyr late sister. xyr eyes widened at leo’s reaction before an small uneasy smile spread across xyr face. xe looked absolutely godly, a beautiful masterpiece that already had leo feel like he’s going to melt into a puddle. he didn’t notice that nico was speaking until the guy waved a hand in front of his face.

****

“o-oh!” leo realized, laughing nervously at his own idiocy and backed down from his fighting stance. “sorry, dude, i was just… anyway, what did you say?”

****

“i said i was sorry,” nico replied, italian accent rich.

****

“oh, no, no, it’s fine man!” leo stuttered. “i mean, i just didn’t notice that you were there but then again you can be quiet as fuck and blend into shadows like some kind of superhero or some shit and i just wasn’t prepared, because… i forgot… you could do that…”

****

awkward silence.

****

“i’m sorry?”

****

“it’s okay, neeks.” leo smiled, rubbing his neck with his prosthetic arm. he used nico’s nickname many times, but he still loved the sound of it on his tongue. “i was just surprised, that’s all.”

****

nico laughed silently. “okay. you look great, by the way.”

****

“really?” leo looked down at his choice of clothing. he didn’t know what to wear since he wondered if this was a date or just a normal hangout, so he just found the clothes that were comfortable - to show nico that he cared a lot but also didn’t. he’d thrown on a dirty _fall out boy_ tank top under his favorite army jacket along with jeans that were patched up and ripped badly from getting caught in machine edges and combat boots so worn down half the soles came out, plus his fingerless gloves were old as shit. his rosary and tool belt was a weird combination but oh well, never knew when a monster would attack. honestly, he looked like a wreck. “thanks. not looking too shabby yourself, _niño_.”

****

nico’s face flushed a bit. “so, do you want to see something?”

****

“sure.”

****

nico started to lead the way before stopping and turning to face him. “can we...er, try to...hold hands?”

****

leo’s heart leaped from his chest. “u-uh, sure! i’d- i’d like that!”

****

nico smiled and took leo’s (real) hand. xyr hands were rough but soft to hold (did that make sense? leo didn’t know, but that’s how he was going to describe it), their fingers curling around each other and making leo’s brain turn to pudding. he let out a sigh of content, having always wanted to hold the guy’s hands for quite some time, and he loved the feeling of it, xyr freckled hands around his making him feel at home, reminding him of the times he held his mother’s calloused hand as they walked around the streets of houston.

****

they walked through the graveyard, nico’s eyes set on the destination that leo couldn’t quite make out to be. the kid was full of mystery, that was for sure. leo knows a lot about nico - xyr backstory, xyr problems and flaws, xyr love of mythomagic and xyr devotion to xyr friends - but he also knows that there is some stuff that he doesn’t know a thing about. curiosity clang to him at times, begging him to ask nico more and more to understand xem more, but he couldn’t. partly because he knew nico would tell him when xe wants to, partly because he was scared to ask. he always reminisces nico’s lips on his that one night, soft and gentle and slow, needy yet calm. leo remembers it and grips nico’s hand tighter, hoping that this wasn’t a dream, that he was actually holding the hand of the one he loves.

****

“leo?” nico asked, looking at him. “are you okay?”

****

leo looked back and shrugged. “i’m chill. just a little scared, ya’know?” that was true. he hoped nico would think that it was because they were walking through a graveyard and not about their confusing relationship.

****

nico nodded. “we’re already here anyway.”

****

leo raised an eyebrow and looked over nico’s shoulder. the path led away from the stone crosses and withering bouquets to a small parking lot, empty save for a single sleek black car, shining in the moonlight. as if that wasn’t ominous enough, there was a literal zombie in front of it, patiently waiting. his skin was the same decaying green leo had seen in movies, and he wore a black coat with a red flower on its lapel, which made leo wonder if world war z was actually happening and the alive had to compete with the undead using european fashion tactics.

****

“oh my gods, is that your zombie chauffeur?” leo breathed.

****

“yep,” nico said. “meet jules-albert.” he gestured over the dead man, who walked towards leo with poise and a sort of regal aura. leo blinked.

****

“i was actually joking but you know what, this isn’t the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me so i’m just going to go along with this.”

****

“ _bonjour_ , leonardo valdez,” jules-albert greeted with a bow. his french accent was so prominent, leo felt as if he was watching _beauty and the beast_ all over again. “master nico has told me all about you.”

****

“he knows my full name?” leo asked. “and you talk about me? master nico?”

****

“wha- i don’t- i didn’t- jules!” nico stuttered, blushing profusely. “i don’t talk about leo with you at all.”

****

the french zombie didn’t even falter. “but yesterday you were talking about how his smell reminded you of warm morning caffeine and fresh honeydew-”

****

“no i didn’t! just...stop. please.”

****

half of leo felt like laughing out loud. it was kind of endearing to watch his friend squabble with a dead french racer from the 1900s - a sentence he never thought he’d use in life but he slept in a fireplace so he’s had worse and doesn't blame the situation at hand. the other half felt like screaming until his lungs would give and he would be a pool of melted lava on the floor because _holy shit, nico di angelo says i smell like fresh honeydew and i’ve never been told i smell like honeydew, like what do i even smell like because the last time i took a sniff of myself i only smelled gasoline and jalapeños which are not good together at all_ -

****

“just ignore him,” nico muttered, waving away the chauffeur with an embarrassed face. “hades gave him to me as a present as a way to make me more comfortable in the twenty-first century. his personal way of saying _i love you_.”

****

“your dad thought that giving you a deceased generation zombie driver from the twentieth-century would get you more attuned to the modern world?”

****

“i know,” nico said. “parental love isn’t always the same.”

****

“don’t sweat it, dude,” leo replied. “my dad gave me a bottle of corkscrews for my birthday one time. so, where are you taking me?”

****

nico smirked. “it’s a secret.”

****

classic nicolò di angelo, always being a sneaky little shit. leo was tempted to get out a lasso of truth and make xem spit it out, but that would just be rude. he wasn’t surprised that nico would hide the surprise for him though; it was just like when xe was leading leo through the forest of a cemetery in houston, texas, not even uttering a single hint until they made it to the clearing where leo’s mother was, her body a silky blue glow that made him feel warm and shocked inside. nico had a habit of hiding the best things for last, which made leo’s curiosity skyrocket to where it was out of the solar system by now. it made him smile but also made him want to rip his own hair out.

****

“well, that’s enough to make me strap in!” leo exclaimed, walking over to the car but stopping, turning back to nico. “wait, you do know i get carsick, right?”

****

nico nodded, and leo could make out the little glint in hit eye. “jules, cycle mode.”

****

“ _oui_ , master nico.”

****

the zombie walked back to the sleek black car. it was a limo with tinted windows and the shiniest polish leo had ever seen on a car, possibly because it belonged to the god of wealth. on top of its hood was a small circular ornament with an _H_ in the middle, most likely standing for the person who owned it. jules-albert twisted it, making a sort of whirring sound from the engine. he squeezed the letter _H_ three times, and suddenly the limousine did that sort of thing transformers do whenever they turn into their autobot forms. kind of like how leo gave festus the feature to compress into a rolling suitcase.

****

the limo began thinning and compressing, one of its wheels disappearing into its front and windshield melting to a small size and the top of the car disappearing behind its shrinking shape. getting smaller and smaller up until-

****

“you didn’t,” leo choked out.

****

“i did.” nico’s smile was victorious.

****

the car had turned into a three-seat harley trike, making leo nearly faint at the sight. it shimmered like pools of silver in the moonlight, with an obsidian black base and three wheels with one at the front and the two bigger ones at the back. the seats in the back of the limo were reduced to only two, a bench with two seatbelts. the _H_ was standing still on the top of the single headlight. on the sides were paintings of wispy ghosts and skulls and even neon bars attached to its exhaust pipes, glowing a wonderful purple.

****

weirdly, leo wasn’t carsick on motorcycles. it was probably because in a car his brain is confused since he feels like the car is moving but his eyes say it isn’t. the only time he isn’t carsick is when he’s the driver. but on motorcycles, it was somehow different. he saw that he was moving - the road was very clearly passing by. the air was better than the trapping fumes of the car, and he could move a whole lot more. he didn’t know exactly why, but any vehicle besides a car or bus was better in any way, shape, or form.

****

he remembered telling nico about this a year or more back, when leo started throwing up when they had been back from a monster fight that left nico too weak to shadow-travel or even call xyr zombie chauffeur and called the gray sisters’ taxi (one of the worst experiences he’s ever had).

****

apparently nico took that to heart.

****

“di angelo, you are an asshole!” leo shrieked. “how dare you do this?”

****

nico shrugged. “eh, i have a habit. are you up for the ride.”

****

“baby, i was born ready!” leo screamed, and ran to the trike, pulling a cackling nico behind him.

****

the seats were fine leather and so soft leo felt like he was melting into them. nico climbed in next to him and smiled at him. a long time ago, leo would’ve thought that xe was some creepy child of hades who just happened to be caught up the prophecy of nine, but now xe reminded leo of a small puppy - caring and full of so much love that xe was willing to sacrifice xemself for others. xe was kind and thoughtful, and xyr smile was gentle, as if the gods had thought that _hey, maybe valdez needs a little grin or two from that kid he’s been thinkin’ bout for quite some time now_. leo wanted that smile that used to be so rare to be etched into his mind, to let it rest there until his final breath because he felt like he was falling-

****

“-belt?”

****

“wh-wha?” leo spat out, realizing that he had, again, begun to zone out thinking about you know who.

****

“are you going to use the seatbelt?” nico repeated. “because there were several times you fell off festus and a bike and one time a fucking plane? you might need it.”

****

leo scoffed. “of _course_! i was just distracted.”

****

nico didn’t look convinced. “mhm.”

****

the raven grabbed the latch of his seatbelt and pulled it over leo’s lap, reaching over to fasten it into the buckle of the other side. during this action, his face was close to leo’s, and leo could smell a hint of mint - did nico use _mentos_ while waiting for him? or was that his regular smell, because _damn_ was that smell was soothing. he felt as if his sinuses were opening up. nico, disappointedly, stretched back up, unfazed despite the color on xyr cheeks, and looked over to jules-albert, who was at the front of the bike.

****

“drive us to the destination,” xe ordered. “and please don’t tell leo where it is.”

****

“ _oui_ ,” the zombie said. leo could almost hear his smile before he turned a key in the motorbike’s slot, pressing the kill switch and eventually hitting the start button, reving up the bike’s engine.

****

“are you wearing _your_ seatbelt, _chico_?” leo asked teasingly, ignoring his own embarrassment. nico retaliated by holding up xyr already-fastened belt with one hand and flipping him off with the other. leo stuck his tongue out at him, the best he could do in the situation.

****

jules-albert pulled out of the parking space and drove towards the road. the wind was just as chilly as when he had first arrived at the graveyard. the air smelled like pine needles mixed in with gasoline from a nearby gas station, which was so run down that its sign was on the brink of crashing to the ground. they made it to the street and turned to the right (leo thanked the gods he was not in a car because he would’ve thrown up right then and there), heading down the street. everyone looked at the bike as if it was a caravan of circus animals with a fire breathing chicken as a driver. leo wondered if the mist was currently shielding them from mortal eyes, making them just look like celebrities on a trike with a human chauffeur. or what if they thought they were some peeps from the civil war? whatever the case, the people’s faces were enough to make the two of them snort.

****

“don’t catch flies!” leo yelled at one passerby near a stoplight, whose jaw was so wide he could’ve downed a whole mcdonald’s burger pack in one sitting. nico laughed at this, xyr signature cackle - which sounded like the wicked witch of the west just immigrated from italy.

****

“you sound like the wicked witch of the west just immigrated from italy,” leo voiced. nico shoved him.

****

“don’t even start, you wheeze when you laugh!” xe choked out.

****

leo gasped all dramatic. “i do not wheeze when i laugh!”

****

nico gave him an _are you fucking serious?_ look before saying, “look at this.” xe started to do some weird ninjutsu witchcraft thing people do when they’re about to release a giant hadouken ball of energy. leo followed xyr hands and nico stopped, letting xyr right hand rest at thigh level. leo looked down at it. nico’s index finger and thumb were pressed together, forming a… oh gods, leo just got circle gamed.

****

leo started wheezing, laughing even harder when nico punched him in the bicep. nico started cackling at his laugh, and then leo started wheezing harder because nico was cackling, and then nico - well, you get the point. jules-albert paid no mind at the chaos happening in the back, where nico and leo were dissolving into fits of giggles. then they’d stop, look at each other, before starting to laugh again because suddenly silence was the funniest thing ever. this wasn’t the first time this happened, and don’t ask when or why. it’s best to leave it at that.

****

eventually, they couldn’t laugh anymore. leo looked at nico, face flushed from laughing so hard. xyr freckles covered every inch of xyr face, reminding leo of the times they would go stargazing when bored or troubled, staring up at constellations and pointing out which ones formed dicks (well, that part was entirely leo - nico was the one that sighed in exasperation and said that leo was disgusting). xyr freckles were galaxies; xyr eyes were planets or black holes, sucking in leo with its gravity and depth, making him mesmerized by them. they gleamed like onyx caves and stygian mines, eyelashes framing them and eyebags from staying up late at night under them. xyr hair whipped around xem in the wind. xe was smiling uncontrollably, staring back at leo with the same look xe had given him on the argo’s mast, full of so much emotion that leo couldn’t quite name at the moment because _nico di angelo was so beautiful_. leo forgot the world around him for a second.

****

suddenly nico’s eyes dropped down to his lips. leo found himself doing the same thing - with nico’s lips, not his own because he couldn’t see his own and you couldn’t possibly kiss yourself, though with a clone it would necessarily count-

****

_what would it be like feeling those on mine again?_ leo thought.

****

“sir?” monsieur le zombie called out to them, breaking the two out of their trance. “would you like some music? you’ve compiled a whole playlist.”

****

embarrassment was a word that wonderfully described nico’s face at that moment. “uh yeah...you didn’t need to mention the playlist.”

****

“you compiled a bunch of songs for the bike?” leo asked.

****

“no,” nico said hesitantly. “just for the date.”

****

leo’s eyes widened. “did you just-”

****

“i-i mean-!” nico stuttered, slapping xyr own head. “i didn’t mean date, i just meant hangout - i just called it date because that’s what we call...a hangout...in italy. we call hangouts ‘dates’ in italy.” xe looked desperate to change the subject. “your hair’s on fire.”

****

“it is?” leo asked. he touched his head and, indeed, his head was _smoking_. he quickly pat it out, laughing nervously. “oh whoops!”

****

nico gave a nervous laugh back. the two sat in silence for a few seconds.

****

leo realized that jules-albert had turned on the music while they were talking, and leo was hit by the sound of starship’s _nothing’s gonna stop us now_.

****

_let ‘em say we’re crazy_

_i don’t care ‘bout that_

_put your hand in my hand_

_baby, don’t ever look back_

****

shit, riding in a neon ghost motorcycle wearing pop punk band shirts and listening to eighties jams was a whole different level of aesthetic. leo felt his hand gravitate towards nico’s, and before he knew it their fingers were intertwined. leo looked at him; nico was looking right back at him, a small smile on xyr face.

****

“can i rest my head?” leo asked. “the drive looks like it’s gonna be long.”

****

“only an hour or two,” nico replied. “but sure.”

****

leo smiled and let his head fall on nico’s shoulder, feeling the guy’s breathing go up and down, xyr minty breath halting for a second before resuming its pace if not faster. maybe leo should’ve been more clear on _where_ he wanted to rest his head, but when he tried to lift his head, nico gently pushed it back down. “it’s okay,” xe said. “just try to stay awake.”

****

by them, the world was passing by. they sped by supermarkets and large skyscrapers and the night sky was empty due to the lights of the city. store signs zipped by like streaks of red and white and blue. it was quiet save for a few cars driving near them, where their radio ranged from classical symphonies to new rap beats that had recently come out (ha, come out). it felt as if everything was happening so fast that the two of them couldn’t keep up. jules-albert sat at the wheel, merging the trike onto the highway. it had little to no traffic since rush hour was already finished. leo looked up and the sky was still void. he was a little disappointed. a little.

****

but to be honest, the star right next to him was _way_ better than the galaxies above.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you all for reading part one! i've been working on this fanfic for a long and I am posting it now since I have 300+ followers on tumblr! this fic is for my two girls timwaynetheloser on tumblr (rika_chan12) and sandyfiwee (same name here). this is also for my tumblr peeps: iinactiiveee, voradtras, iamascaryhuman, and shyravenn! i love you all!
> 
> this fic has a different format of my others because it wanted it to be aesthetically pleasing XD. I find it quite cute. i'll post the next part when I finish it, so stay tuned. i'm thankful to all my followers and my friends, and i'm really excited to write more. i'm thinking of writing a few chapters for the valdangelo raestar au. ;)
> 
> see you in part two.


End file.
